Child Labour in Britain, 1750-1870 (Social History in Perspective, 55)

What kinds of jobs did children do in the past, and how widespread was their employment? Why did so many poor families put their children to work? How did the state respond to child labour? What problems arise in the interpretation of evidence of child employment? Child Labour in Britain, 1750-1870 - Offers a broad empirical analysis of how the work of children was integrated with the major economic and occupational changes of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Britain - argues that working children occupied a unique position within the context of the family, the labour market and the state - discusses the key issues involved in the study of children's employment In this clear and concise study, Peter Kirby convincingly argues that child labour provided an invaluable contribution to economic growth and the incomes of working-class households. Consequently, the picture that emerges is much more complex than that portrayed in many traditional approaches to the subject. Peter Kirby's analytical survey of child labor during the industrial revolution asserts that the concentration by some historians and social commentators upon small numbers of industrially-employed children has diverted attention from the important role of the working child within the context of the family, the labor market and the state. Kirby convincingly argues that during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, child labor provided an invaluable contribution both to economic growth and to the incomes of working-class households. The book also discusses the major issues involved in the study of children's employment. Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction....Pages 1-8 Sources for the History of Child Labour....Pages 9-25 The Social and Demographic Context of Child Labour....Pages 26-50 Child Labour and the Organisation of Production....Pages 51-92 Child Labour and the State....Pages 93-130 Conclusion....Pages 131-134 Back Matter....Pages 135-172 This survey of child labour argues that during the 18th and 19th centuries, child labour provided a major contribution both to economic growth and to the incomes of working class households. The book also discusses the issues involved in the study of children's employment. This text offers a broad empirical analysis of how child labour was an integral part of the major economic and occupational changes of 18th and 19th century Britain and examines the key issues involved in the study of the employment of children This text offers a broad empirical analysis of how child labour was an integral part of the major economic and occupational changes of 18th and 19th century Britian and examines the key issues involved in the study of the employment of children Any study of child labour in history must begin with an assessment of the limitations of the primary evidence upon which our knowledge is based.